Mounting apparatus for loudspeakers and the like



y 6, 1952 K. H. BECKER 2,595,562

MOUNTING APPARATUS FOR LOUD-SPEAKERS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 8, 1949 FICf-J.

INVENTOR. Kfi/fL f1. BC/(ER BY Qua/700M? HGEDTJ Patented May 6, 1952 MOUNTING APPARATUS FOR LOUD- SPEAKERS AND THE LIKE Karl H. Becker, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Philco Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 8, 1949, Serial No. 120,232

3 Claims. 1

The invention hereinafter disclosed and claimed relates to support means. While in its broader aspects the apparatus of the invention may be used in connection with a wide variety of articles to be supported, its concepts are of particular utility when used for supporting loud speakers upon the chassis of radios and the like. Accordingly, and by way of example, the following description and the accompanying drawings disclose the apparatus of the invention as a support for a loud speaker.

In the mass production of a complete line of radio receivers, including models of different cabinet design, it has heretofore been necessary to design a special speaker support for each individual model so that the mouth of the speaker can properly be aligned with an opening provided in the cabinet. Each different support required its own special dies and tools, thus increasing the overall cost of each receiver.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide, for use in radio receivers and other apparatus, a support particularly adapted for manufacture in a plurality of different sizes by the use of a single pair of dies, thus to accommodate the requirements of a number of different models, and to eliminate the large number of special dies and tools heretofore required.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a radio speaker support characterized by simplicity of design, inexpensive manufacture, and easy assembly.

To these general ends the invention utilizes a formed metal support member made from strip stock and produced in a pair of dies capable of forming similar support members of different dimensions. The support member provides a rigid column, or chair, upon which the speaker is readily supported and secured to the chassis of a radio, by means of a pair of screws and an inexpensive spring clip. The chair has upper and lower edges lying in parallel planes. The surface upon which the chair is to be mounted is preferably a plane surface and, when assembled, the speaker automatically, and without the use of special assembly jigs, assumes the desired position relative to the opening provided in the cabinet.

The foregoing, together with other objects and constructional features of the invention, will best be understood by making reference to the following detailed description considered in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a loud speaker shown mounted upon a fragmentary portion of the chassis of a radio receiver through the agency of support means embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the elements comprising the support means.

Now, with more particular reference to the drawings, the numeral I0 designates the mounting panel of a sub-base or chassis ll of a radio receiver. Mounted upon panel I!) is the support means or chair I2 of the present invention, and the details of which will be described hereinafter. The chair provides support for a loud speaker [3 comprising, generally, a diaphragm cone I4, a field magnet I5, and a substantially U-shaped yoke l6, which serves also as a mounting bracket. The yoke or bracket It includes a flat bottom web I! which, as shown in Figure 1, is seated upon the upwardly presented edges ll! of chair l2 and lies in' a plane parallel to the top surface IQ of panel l0. As appears to best advantage in Figure 3, top surface IQ of mounting panel In is provided with a pair of apertures 20 and an abutment or tab 2|, the purposes of which will be described hereinafter.

The chair [2 is of channel shape, including a rear wall 23, parallel side walls 24, and flanges 25, the latter being turned outwardly in opposite directions in a plane substantially parallel to rear wall 23. In addition to the aforesaid support element or chair there is provided a resilient member, or yoke, in the form of a spring clip 26 having side walls 21, the ends of the latter terminating in inwardly turned flanges 28.

As clearly shown in Figure 2, clip 26 spans the open side of support member l2 and has its side walls 21 engaged around flanges 25 of said support member and, in cooperation with flanges 28, resiliently retaining the shanks of a pair of screws 29. The screws pass upwardly through apertures 20 in panel l0 and are threaded into apertures 30 provided in the web I! of the speaker yoke or bracket l6. As shown both in Figures 1 and 2, tab 2| engages the inner surface of back wall 23 of the support member in a manner cooperating with panel l0 and screws 29 to maintain chair l2 positively against lateral shifting with respect to the panel. Both the upper and lower edges of the chair lie in parallel planes, thus, when screws 29 are driven home, the speaker is drawn down tightly upon the top edge IS in parallel alignment with panel [0. It should be understood, of course, that while in the drawings panel 10 has been illustrated in a horizontal position, this is purely exemplary, and that the top surface may be positioned at any desired angle.

Preferably chair i2 is formed from flat strip stock in a stamping die provided with adjustable width gauges to enable the stampin of chairs of different dimensions. In practice it has been found necessary only to change the height of the chair and, therefore, the die may be of extremely simple and inexpensive design.

It is now evident that by a mere change in the height of the support element various speaker elevations may be accommodated; of course, with the change in height of the support element, screws of different lengths may be used. Also, it will now be clear that, from a single pair of dies, support elements of any height may be formed, obviating the necessity of individual dies for each application, and thus affording a considerable reduction in manufacturing cost.

While the apparatus may be assembled in various ways, the following method is preferred. Clip 26 is slipped over flanges 25 of support member l2 and this assembly is then placed on panel l with the inner surface of back wall 23 of the sup port member in contact with tab 2|, as clearly shown in Figure 2, and with the angle formed by the junction of the walls 24 and flanges 25 in registry with apertures 20 in the panel I0. Screws 29 are then passed upwardly through apertures 20, and through the apertures formed by flanges 25 of member I2, and side walls 2'! of th spring clip. The aforesaid portions 21 and 28 of the spring clip 26 grip the screws under moderate pressure, thus cooperating in such a way as to prevent displacement movements of the chair assembly with respect to the chassis or other base structure utilized. This frictional retention of the screws 2! serves-when the chassis I I is inverted during subsequent assembly operations-to retain the mounting chair in positive association with the chassis until the speaker is mounted and the screws are tightened thereagainst. In mounting the speaker, the U-shaped bracket i6 is placed upon the chair assembly with the cone-shaped point 3| of screws 29 in registry with apertures 30 provided in the web IT. Rotation of the screws then serves to draw the speaker down tightly upon the chair and completes the assembly.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the mounting apparatus of the present invention is not only characterized by simplicity of design and ease of assembly, but that such apparatus is further advantageous in that it is adapted to accommodate the requirements of various different models and thus eliminate the relatively large number of special tools and dies which were heretofore required.

I claim:

1. A device for supporting an object upon base structure, said device comprising: a channel member generally U-shaped in cross-section and each leg of which is provided with an outwardly turned flange; a pair of screw-threaded elements each of which is engageable with said base structure, each of said elements extending along a corresponding one of said flanges into position to engage the object to be supported; and a yoke member having portions extending about the free edges of said flanges and cooperating with said flanges to support and retain said screw-threaded elements.

2. A device for supporting an object upon base structure, said device comprising: a channel member generally U-shaped in cross-section and each leg of which is provided with an outwardly turned flange; a pair of screw-threaded elements each of which is engageable with said base structure, each of said elements extending along a corresponding one of said flanges into position to engage the object to be supported; and a resilient yoke member having a web portion spanning said flanges and inwardly turned end portions extending about the free edges of said flanges and cooperatin with said flanges to support and retain said screw-threaded elements.

3. In combination, base structure and a device for supporting an object upon said base structure, said device comprising: a channel member generally U-shaped in cross-section and each leg of which is provided with an outwardly turned flange; a pair of elongated securing elements each of which is engaged with said base structure and extends along a corresponding one of said flanges into position to engage the object to be supported; and a resilient yoke member spanning said flanges, the ends of said yoke member extending about the free edges of-said flanges and coomrating with said flanges to support and retain said securing elements, said base structure being provided with abutment means engaging said sup port member and cooperating with said pair of elements to prevent lateral displacement of said support member relative to said base structure.

KARL H. BECKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,805,459 Bat-cher May 21, 1931 2,278,835 Crowley Apr. '7, 1942 

